Dawn Steinhaus-Hampton Memorial Scholarship Fund

Dawn Marie Steinhaus-Hampton was born on March 23rd, 1963 in New Ulm, Minnesota to Donald and Carol (Dolly) Steinhaus.

She graduated in 1981 from NUHS, with the highlight of studying in Spain for 6 months in her junior year. After high school she graduated from Stuart's Beauty School in Sioux Falls, SD.

In 1993, Dawn began her fight with Sinus Cancer. At this time she thought it would be best to get away from her career as a hair stylist so as not to be exposed to the dyes and sprays. She won the battle and went on to further her education, always eager to learn more.

In the Fall of 1995, during her three year recovery from sinus cancer, Dawn enrolled in WEV’s Self Employment Training (SET) course. Referred by her social worker, Dawn anticipated she would be rejected from workforce re-entry after her disfiguring facial surgery. At WEV, Dawn found a safe, supportive environment to transform her hopelessness into a bright future.

Through the skills she learned in the SET course, Dawn launched Ph.D. Organizational Services, helping people get a handle on their medical bills and insurance claims. Dawn’s business grew dramatically to serve physicians with their medical practice management.

In one case, Dawn worked with a client to process nearly $500,000 in claims for his deceased father who was insured by four different medical plans, none of which would pay his claims. When Dawn finished, the claims were processed and the father’s estate owed $6.71 to just one provider!

Dawn's continuing education degrees and certicates reinforce her commitment to excellence and to educating her customers. Some of these degrees and certificates included, a BA from California Unversity, Northridge; an A.S. in Heath Information Technology from SBCC; a Medical Reimbursement Specialist Certificate from SBCC; and a Medical Coding Specialist Certificate from SBCC. She is the past Past President of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), Santa Barbara Chapter.

In 2003, she celebrated her 40th birthday with a trip to Spain with her mother, Carol Steinhaus.

In 2005, WEV awarded Dawn with our Client of the Year Award for her truly inspiring story of business success. Over the years, Dawn has served as a role-model for countless local women thinking about starting their own business. As an alumni of the SET course, Dawn would often return as an alumni guest speaker on the first night of class to encourage the women just starting out on their journey of entrepreneurship.

In August 2012, the diagnosis of Tongue Cancer was discovered. Tests, biopsies, insurance approvals, and waiting started all over again. She underwent 3 weeks of Chemo; a two week break followed by 5 Cyberknife radiation treatments. February 19th, Dawn underwent emergency brain surgery for a brain infection in which she was unable to recover from. Dawn's final days were pain free and spent at Serenity House surrounded by love and the utmost care. Her 50th birthday will be spent in heaven, free of pain and suffering.

When WEV featured Dawn as a Success Story, she stated "WEV provided me with the knowledge and the tools to make my dream come true." The Dawn Steinhaus-Hampton Memorial Scholarship Fund will help local women obtain the business tools necessary to make their own dreams come true.

You can either donate online, on the right column, or you can mail in a donation to WEV at 333 S. Salinas Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93103. Please just make a note on/with the check that this is for the Dawn Steinhaus-Hampton Memorial Scholarship Fund.

Women's Economic Ventures is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to creating an equitable and just society through the economic empowerment of women. You can read more about program that the Dawn Steinhaus-Hampton Memorial Scholarship Fund will benefit here.